


99 problems and imposters are 1 to 3

by archneed413



Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:01:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27380863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/archneed413/pseuds/archneed413
Summary: moving to a whole new ship was always worrying. the ever present fear of imposters upon being forced into a brand new crew didnt exactly help
Kudos: 10





	1. calm before the storm

Moving to a whole new ship was always worrying. There was the ever present fear of imposters when forced into a new crew that you know nothing about. Then again, imposters were equally likely on a ship you feel safe in. Even more so, actually. That's why I was forced to a new one. My last ship had been overcome by them- hostile aliens that killed the people I had held dear. I'd known those people for years, we never could have suspected... 

I shook my head and tried to focus on my tasks. Once I finish uploading this weapons report, i should really find someone to come with me into electrical. I'd only been on this ship a week, but it was more than enough to get to know everyone. Hard not to when everyone was so... interesting. 

For one thing, there were at least two known aliens on the ship. Not like that meant anything- not all aliens are hostile, and sometimes humans were the imposters. But that doesnt mean I was gonna trust Lime or Red anytime soon. or Yellow, for that matter. Yellow wasnt exactly a confirmed alien, but he did always refuse medbay scans, or to be examined by anyone but himself. definitely a little sus. 

Brown was my closest friend on the ship. he was the only one to stick to Mira protocol by only letting people refer to him by colour. it was for safety reasons, HQ had said. so we dont get attached. and my last crew abided by that rule. but, this crew was different. They asked for my name when I arrived, and gave me theres. When I told them to call me Cyan, they just kinda... rolled their eyes and nodded. That was a week ago. 

I spotted Pink out of the corner of my eye and decided to go with her. She was just a kid, her parents had been killed by imposters a couple ships ago. but she stayed loyal to the program. someone like that would hold a grudge against imposters... and no imposter would dare kill someone so young... right ?

"Pink!" I shouted as I finished my task and ran over. "I have a quick task in electrical, mind coming with?" 

"I told you to call me Princess," she insisted, gesturing to the tiara she always wore to indicate how easy a name it was to remember. everyone was allowed one clothing item from home. I'd just brought a doctors mask because the idea of wearing one over a spacesuit made me chuckle.

"right, Princess. so... are you busy ?" Pi- _Princess_ giggled and said she'd come with. 

I held my task board to my chest as we traveled across the ship. Along the way we passed Green, our captain, lecturing White about something. They cut themselves off as we drew close, only continuing their conversation once wed passed by. I wonder what they were talking about... Whites blatant sexuality, probably. I assume it made some people uncomfortable, personally I just found his constant flirting amusing. 

"ooooh Vanilla's in troubleee," Princess teased when we saw them, referring to White. 

"why dont you ever call them by their colours ? like HQ told us to." I inquired. 

"Well... it's important to be able to trust you're crewmates, _Cyan_. I know HQ doesnt want that, but... if my parents had gotten to know their crew a little better, I think a lot of imposter situations could be avoided." she confessed. 

We didnt talk the rest of the way. My task was on the first wall of electrical, so I worked on that mindlessly as Princess wandered around impatiently. blue wire with blue, red with red. it was impossible to tell if they'd been purpously slashed or just worn with time. it was an old ship after all. 

a blood curling scream from Princess made me jump and glance around nervously. She instinctively had her hands over where her mouth would be as she stared in horror as something I hadn't noticed behind the wall. and there it was, my worst fears come true: the decapitated body of a crewmate.


	2. close call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the suits are made for protection against the harsh elements of space, like lack of oxygen and cold. they dont help much against stabbings, or poison.

"where did you find the body?" Green demanded, glaring at me through his visor.   
I swallowed hard, knowing he was sussing me. understandably so- I reported the body after all. "electrical. I was doing wires on the front wall when Princess noticed the body."   
"who are we voting off, Captain?" Yellow asked way too excitedly. was it him? "I think Cyan self reported."   
"w-what?? no- Princess can back me up! right?"   
Princess didnt respond to my plea. her gaze was down, still in shock from the gore.   
"were not voting anyone out." Green interrupted.  
"But-" Yellow began.  
"I said no, Ray. from now on I want everyone to travel in buddy systems. stay in groups of two or more. and Brown, come with me to install more cams around the ship." the captain turned his attention back to me. "Eco I want you to stick with Cyan. meeting adjourned."  
Lime, or _Eco_ , was basically Captain's right hand man. how anyone could trust an alien was beyond me. all the same, I nodded in compliance and glanced at Eco, who's "suit" parted to expose a smile. I shuddered.   
the group dissipated into groups of two or three- I watched wistfully as Brown went to follow our captain. Eco approached me immediately, a bone chilling grin plastered on his face. "looks like were partners. so, whatre your tasks ?"   
we compared tasks for a bit to figure out the best paths that wouldnt include too much waiting around for the other to finish.   
first stop, storage. I had to grab fuel for feuling the reactors, while Eco had other tasks in reactor room.   
Eco helped me carry the heavy gallons of gasoline, which was appreciated.   
Once we arrived, I turned my back on Eco to heave the gasoline over the reactor, tilting it precariously. naturally, the lights began dimming as I worked. I squinted in the dim light to make sure I didnt spill, trying to calculate the route to electrical and wondering if we should bother or let someone else worry about it, when I felt a sharp pain on my side.   
I hissed in pain and instinctively reached for the weapon attempting to cut through my flesh- the suits werent exactly armour. I was only met with the touch of my own blood and the sound of a vent clattering.   
a touch on my shoulder made me jump and I tried to pull away before realizing it was Eco.   
"Cyan, are you okay ? fuck, you're bleeding...it's okay, I think I scared them off... fuck."   
I looked at him blurrily before turning to the blood on my hands. the imposter hadn't cut deep enough to hit bone... honestly it didnt even hurt too much other than stinging. adrenaline, maybe.   
had Eco done this? the lime coloured alien picked me up effortlessly, pressing his hand over my wound. I felt... woozy, and tired. enough to carelessly droop my head into the potential imposters chest.   
he was saying something but honestly my mind couldn't focus. my last thought before everything went black was irrationally of Green- once again I was present in the potential presence of a murder. pretty sus. 

* 

bright lights. murmuring. a dull, thumping pain across my body... my head. I groaned and glanced around, trying to make sense through the searing light, but a firm hand on my arm stopped me.   
"dont move," a voice commanded. I squinted, able to see a blurry black figure. "rest."   
I turned my head away from the lights and closed my eyes again. 

* 

the second time I woke up was a lot less painful. the lights were still bright, but this time I was collected enough to realize why- my suit had been taken off. all i had on was a hospital gown and a blanket covering me- not like that protected me much from the chill air.   
glancing down showed that my stab wound had been bandaged. stab wound... the emotions I shouldve felt yesterday flooded through me all at once. the imposter tried to kill me! and Eco was the only one there. had I missed the report? Captain needed to know.   
I sat up quickly, planning to jump off the bed only to be hit with a sudden wave of nausea at the act.   
sensing my distress, Black walked over. "calm down, Cyan. you're still recovering."   
"the imposter..." I stuttered out, still panicked.   
"there hasn't been any more attempts since you were attacked. no ones been voted out." Black hesitated, then asked "do you remember who did it? I know it was a while ago but if you could let Captain know..."   
"Eco," I announced quickly. "he was the only one there, it had to be-"   
"Eco brought you to me," Black interrupted. "if he wanted you dead, he just had to wait. Ray had the same idea."   
well that wasnt a satisfying answer, though it did make sense. someone tried to kill me, and I was back to square one concerning who it was. well... at least now i knew Eco was safe. "what do you mean 'a while ago'?"   
"you've been out for a week."   
"oh."   
my question seemed to concern Black, cuz he jumped into medic mode and asked me the stereotypical questions. what was my name, where was I, what did I remember the day of the attack. he took long pauses in between questions to write everything down.   
it made me nervous, the whole thing. Black writing down every word and thought I shared. having been out for a full week... not having my suit on made me especially insecure. we werent supposed to know what each other looked like.   
"looks like you werent always Cyan," Black noted, referring to my purple dyed hair. it was standard to dye your hair your proper colour. made it easier to switch your identity.   
"yeah... Purple claimed the colour before I got hired on," I murmured. the plan was to dye it cyan soon as we landed on another planet. course, that wouldnt be for another three weeks. er... two weeks now, I guess.   
"this your second ship?" Black asked, putting down the clipboard. guess we were moving on to small talk.   
"yeah. i... trained at Mira HQ for a bit. two years. and served in my first ship for six."   
"what's that make you? 26 years old?"   
I took a moment to reply. these kind of questions would usually be considered a bit too personal to ask a crewmate... but I guess this ship was different. "28. you ?"   
"this is my fifth ship. 32."   
we both glanced up as the lights turned red and sirens blared.   
"reactors been acting up past few days." Black explained. "since you're up, I'm sure Captain will want you suited and reporting first thing tomorrow." he sighed and turned away from me. "it's getting late... get yourself some dinner and head to your quarters. I'll check up on you later." 


	3. the medic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> not being allowed to do normal tasks sucked, but making a new friend made up for it.

I had spent the night tossing and turning, trying to remember anything about who attacked me a week ago. a colour of a sleeve, maybe. footstep patterns I might've been able to assign to one of my crewmates. and yet, by the time my captain was looking at me intently during an early morning meeting, I had nothing.   
Captain sighed and called the meeting to a close. today, I was paired with our medic, Black. Captain said I should already be familiar with the medbay, and that he didnt want me wandering around too much in my still weakened state. personally, I thought I was back to normal strength, but decided not to argue.   
Medic was sitting beside a counter near some still loading samples. based on the body language I could decipher through the suit, he seemed bored.   
"Medic," I announced myself bluntly. he turned around to look at me. "Captain said I should stick by you."   
"should be nice to have some company." he seemed pleasantly surprised.   
I sat down on the med bed that I'd previously laid on near naked. ironically enough, the heavy and overly warm spacesuit felt more familiar than my own skin by now- the darkened visor keeping me from being overwhelmed.   
"any way I could help?"   
Medic thought for a moment, then got up, rifled through a cabinet, before finally handing me a stack of documents.  
"I've had yet to compare the medbay scans of our crewmated last week to this week. if you dont share any of the information... just make sure they're the same throughout time,"  
the task certainly seemed like a... less than entertaining, but it was better than just sitting around uselessly. I agreed and began organizing the documents into pairs, and then reading through them.   
Pink: height, 1 foot five inches. weight, 35 lbs. she seemed to have gained 2 pounds since last week, but according to Medic, a weight loss and gain by 5 pounds max was normal.   
Red: height, 3 foot 3 inches. weight, 66 pounds. hes lost 8 pounds since last week. Medic frowned at this information and took the files from me, telling me that hell handle it, and I should move on to the rest.   
I continued quietly, only notifying Medic when something was wrong.   
Lime: height, 3 foot 6 inches. weight, 92 lbs. blood type, B+. last week said his blood type was AB+... Medic informed me that it was normal for alien blood types to change drastically. I was learning so much.   
everyone else seemed normal, other than the fact that Yellow refused... until I got to White.   
his blood type had recently gone from B+ to B-. White was human. Medic took those files from me as well and said hed handle it.   
I paged through my own report wistfully. I'd lost 12 pounds throughout the week, but presumably that was normal considering I'd been unconscious for it.   
"did I eat while I was out?" I inquired.   
"I tried to feed you. for the most part you refused, but that's normal. you were delirious from the poison."   
two things stood out in Medics explanation. I took a moment to choose which to ask first.   
"yes, the knife was laced with poison." Medic explained in response to my eventual questioning. "that's why you were out for so long. in all honesty, you didn't loose that much blood."   
"how did I refuse if I was passed out?"  
"well... you werent out the full time. youd slip into consciousness every now and then. you dont remember?"   
I remembered waking up once, when I was told to go back to sleep.   
I closed the files and gathered them all up. it felt sort of icky, knowing all this personal information about everyone. true, it was only height weight and blood type that I learned. but it still felt like far too much.   
not counting Princess, Red was the shortest on the ship. at tallest was Brown, followed by Vanilla. me and Eco were in the dead middle at 3 foot six- though Eco hardly counted since he was a shapeshifting alien and all.   
I considered asking Medic why his file wasnt with the rest, but his samples were done loading and he was now busy examining them. I guess it made sense. why would someone so knowledgable on health need to know extra information on themselves ? or, maybe he just didnt want me to see. yeah, that made more sense.   
on the files, each report gave their colour and name. seeing them laid out, I began to doubt that any of the names given were actually what their parents had given them. well... maybe Ray. but Princess ? Vanilla ? for the most part they all just seemed like puns on the accessories they brought. Princess had a crown, Vanilla had a cherry that rested atop his head. Eco had a nest filled with unhatched eggs.   
Red and Purple... well they were odd werent they ? Purple went by _Imposter_. what kind of name was that? who would want to be associated with _murderers_? and Red had a fake knife going through his head with the name "My arm", which lined up with his usual edgy humor.   
"Captain" and "Medic" didnt even try to be names! seeing that Medic had finished his task, I asked him about it. my question was met with a dry laugh.  
"I've been working at Mira for 14 years. my job is my identity." he paused, then added "I can hardly remember the name my parents gave me most days."   
I hesitated, before deciding *to hell with Miras privacy rules!*   
"what was your name?"   
Medic responded with what sounded like a smile in his voice. "Bryan."   
he didnt ask, but I felt obliged to give my own. besides... he seemed, trustworthy. "Alex."   
we spent the next few hours chatting away about our lives before joining Mira. Bryan grew up in a place filled to the brim with space venturing propoganda, and had joined at 18 without any plans to ever do anything different.   
I'd joined at 20. I didnt have any plans once high school ended either, but mindlessly went to college before some space recruiters came to my school. it sounded so amazing... and besides the whole murderous imposter thing, I hadn't been disappointed.   
it was surprisingly nice hearing someone refer to me as my actual name for once. I still hadn't seen Bryan's face, and there was an undeniable age gap between us... but just knowing his name, his past, was more than enough to feel far more bonded than I'd felt with someone in years. I could see why Mira banned it. if Bryan turned out to be the imposter...   
To be honest, I'd pretty much completely let my guard down while the two of us talked. which was why it was totally jeering when a siren sounded overhead, announcing that someone had been killed. 


	4. leadership

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> another death, and for the first time, someone is successfully accused and cast out.

"I found Eco alone in Nav." Captain announced darkly. "I only turned away for a moment- he had to have been killed recently. can everyone explain their pathing for the last couple minutes? Ray?"   
Yellow spoke up quickly. " _you_ were supposed to be his partner, Captain!" he shook his head, backing up a step. "all this time we've been relying on you for reports-" his voice was high, hysterical.   
"are you suggesting it was me?" Captain snarled incredulously. "yes, cause that makes sense. I spent years of my life climbing through the ranks just to kill my first hand man."   
I'll admit, the motives didnt make sense. but Ray had a point, as well. a small "I voted" icon appeared next to his yellow avatar.   
Captain went to comb through his hair, only to clumsily bump his hand on his helmet. he sighed and tried to continue the conversation. "look, I didnt hear the vents open while my back was turned so whoever it was had to have been nearby when the meeting was called. can everyone vouch for their partners?"   
"everyone but you," Ray hissed.  
I stepped forward first to say that me and Medic had been in medbay the whole round. a few other pairs got cleared, but with Ray's constant interruptions saying how the imposter was clearly our captain, we didnt get through everyone.   
By the time we were on our final ten seconds the answer seemed clear- either Ray or Captain. I voted Captain, assuming that near everyone would vote Ray. I just wanted to tie the results so no one would get voted off. but instead, when the results showed up, Captain had the majority based off a single vote. _my_ vote.  
I felt sick and looked away as Brown and Vanilla dragged him out the room. he struggled and screamed in protest, but even for as strong as he was, two people almost always overpowered one.  
his cries went silent all at once as he was ejected into the cold space beyond the ship. assuming he was human as he claimed, he wouldnt survive long out there. the room was thick with guilt when a small voice spoke up.  
"now who's gonna lead us?" Princess whimpered. everyone agreed to hold another vote to decide, one which I didnt bother to participate in. having a captain just meant we were putting our trust in someone who could very well be the imposter. I decided to try and voice those concerns, and to my surprise, people seemed to listen. until...  
"Well... you're clear." Purple stated. the attention went to him as he continued. "you were attacked. an imposter wouldnt attack themselves." and before I could argue, I was elected the new captain. _shit_. and now everyone was looking to me for further directions. _shit_ _._  
"well... the imposters are probably vouching for each other," I began, trying to copy what Captain would say. "so we should all change groups."  
what overwhelming responsibility for my second week here, technically third. once everyone changed groups, I ended up with Brown. which was a relief- it's been a while since I'd hung out with my supposed closest friend.   
"you're captain now," his intercom sputtered.   
"yup..."  
I'd really missed our conversations.   
"who did you vote for? ...I voted Ray."  
"I voted Captain... which I guess sounds sus since I took his place..."   
"not as sus as Ray," he pointed out. "that kill couldve been Captain, but... I dont trust Ray."   
"we cant risk losing any more crewmates." all that was left, besides me and Brown, was Medic, Princess, Vanilla, Ray, and Purple. oh, and Red. almost forgot about him... he doesnt exactly talk much. "Reds suit could easily hide blood," I noted aloud, not even sure where i was going with that thought.   
Brown looked at me blankly and i shook my head before changing the topic.   
"so... you were in charge of cams. right? where all are they?"   
"I'll show you."   
we wandered around for a while, Brown pointing out a camera whenever we passed through a room that had one. with few exceptions, they were mostly in the hallways. "most rooms are already filled with wires," he explained.   
"any way you could at least try to get them in more rooms?"   
"maybe a few. no chance for electrical."   
after finishing our tour, we ended up looping all the way back to cafeteria. we sat at one of the tables to check through with tasks we could take.  
"do you think theres a pattern?" Brown asked.   
I looked up at him quizzically.   
"in the killings. the imposter waited a week, then tried to kill two people. another week, and Eco's dead."   
"...you think theres gonna be another killing soon." it wasnt a question.   
Brown shrugged and looked out the window. "maybe we already cast out the imposter."   
well now Brown had done it. my anxiety had been sparked. I tried to drown it out by picking some tasks but it was hard to ignore my shaking hands. someone could be killed at any moment. would they kill me, because I was never meant to survive? maybe Brown for setting up the cameras, or Bryan for saving me. I swallowed hard, glancing around with a hint of paranoia. nearly everyone on the ship had a reason for the imposters to hold a grudge. it was impossible to tell who itd be, impossible to tell who they'd go for next.   
"you alright, Cyan?"   
I stood up all too suddenly. "maybe we should just wander around. make sure everyone's safe."   
Brown didnt object to joining me as we circled the ship once more. I made sure to keep Brown in my sights as we explored, I didnt want what happened to Eco to happen to him.   
perhaps sensing the reason for my obvious distress, Brown grabbed my hand so we wouldnt get separated easily.   
I sighed softly, trying to calm down as we looked around for our crewmates. while we walked, I let my mind wander.  
if I was the imposter... it would have been a brilliant play to kill the second hand man and frame the captain. two in one go, and a new leadership position available to a potential murderer... maybe it was best that I'd taken on the role instead of someone else. I didnt want to imagine what an imposter could do with that power.  
first, we found Red helping Princess reach up to the admin table so she could swipe her card. minutes later we found Ray consumed by his asteroid task while Vanilla fumbled with some nearby wires mindlessly. over in medbay, Purple seemed bored out of his mind helping Medic with samples. Medic waved at me briefly as I passed by, and I stifled a smile under my suit. I made a note to check up on him later.  
everyone was accounted for, and no one was dead. maybe Brown was right. maybe we'd already found the imposter.   
we both glanced up as the overhead lights turned red and a computerized voice told us that O2 was acting up. me and Brown split up briefly to handle it. mear seconds after we'd both entered the codes and the lights returned normal, they turned red again to announce an emergency meeting.


	5. open the- open the door please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> not all crewmates are what they claim to be

Ray began the meeting by casting his vote. "its Vanilla!" he announced. "I saw him fake task!"   
Vanilla seemed completely taken aback by the accusation. "what are you talking about, Ray? no ones even died this round."   
Ray turned to me, exasperated. "you gotta believe me, Cyan. he walked away from wires but our number of complete tasks didnt change!"   
"well I hadn't done all three yet!" Vanilla protested.  
Ray rolled his eyes. "you dont need three to finish the task... right?"   
"yes, you do," I corrected with an accusatory glare at Ray. "this is ridiculous, why are we pointing fingers when nobody's even died?"   
"oh, did you want to wait until one of our friends was _murdered_?" Ray spat before continuing his assault on Vanilla.   
I suppose he was right.   
"are we not gonna mention that Ray shouldve been too busy with asteroids to see if the task bar went up or not?" Vanilla pointed out. "unless of course, _you_ were faking task."   
"hes throwing blame!" Ray shouted excitedly, as if that in any way proved his point.   
a sound on everyone's tablet announced that Brown casted his vote, followed by a few other crewmates. "wait, who are you guys voting for?" Ray demanded.   
"this is the second 50/50 you've been in," Princess chirped suddenly. "its, a lil sus..."   
"this is stupid. let's skip," Medic announced. he was one of the few that already voted.   
more votes came in as the clock counted down. not wanting to make the same mistake again, I voted to skip.   
Ray had quite a few votes on him, whilst Vanilla had only one, but thankfully the majority agreed to skip.   
Ray threw in a last minute insult about how anyone that voted him was the imposter, just before the meeting came to an end.   
how tiresome... there hadn't been any more murders, and surely the impostor would've already killed again.  
after briefly talking to Brown and Purple about switching partners, they agreed to let me pair with our medic. I wanted to talk to Bryan about the whole thing. Ray had a lot of sus on himself, and I didnt know what to believe. I wanted to believe that there were no more imposters on board, but... either way, I wanted Bryan's opinion.   
I walked into medbay and was greeted with a wave. I waved back, mentally trying to form my questions, but Bryan spoke up first.   
"I should tell you a few things, now that you're captain. I mean, you had the right to know before but..." he trailed off and told me to take a seat, which I hesitantly did.   
Bryan grabbed something before sitting next to me- three manilla folders. medscan reports.   
"not everyone here is exactly... honest, about their species," he began. "that doesnt necessarily mean they're imposter, and as a health professional it is my job to respect their confidentiality... er, was. before lives were on the line."   
I took a moment to process. "you mean there are aliens here pretending to be human? who would do that??" surely only an imposter would have a need to hide their identity like that.   
Bryan put a gloved hand on my shoulder to calm me down, glancing around in a paranoid fashion. "Alex..." he muttered. "I need you to promise you wont tell anyone what I'm about to tell you."   
I was confused why hed be so secretive about this at first, but figured hed lose his medical license or something. with that seeming to add up, I took his hand off my arm and agreed.   
Bryan hesitated, then opened up one of the reports- Vanilla's report. "...remember when you noticed his blood type had changed?"  
"like Eco's did," I murmured. "so... Vanilla isnt human." Bryan nodded. "nope, but, Ray is. I know its unethical but I analyzed his DNA during a standard checkup."  
now that was even more of a surprise than Vanilla being an alien. "but why would he want to hide _that_?"   
Bryan shrugged and hesitated on the last folder. I looked over at his visor, trying to find any emotion behind it. I found nothing, and turned my attention back to the folders he was now gathering up.   
"that's all the information I have. I... hope its helpful." Bryan was hiding something, I think, but suppose that was his business.   
Ray being human was confusing, to say the least. why hide something that would help prove him innocent? but then again, why keep calling emergency meetings to kill someone after the slightest sus?   
"for what it's worth, I dont think it's any of them," Bryan said, putting away the folders into a locked drawer. "I think we were right with Captain. and I think the last ones Purple."   
"dont you think Purple's a bit..." I hesitated, looking for the right word. "obvious?"   
the medic locked the drawer before standing in front of me. "hiding in plain sight, maybe? nothing makes sense on this ship..."   
he offered a hand, which I used to get up.   
"a lot of people have sus on Ray," I noted.   
"I think that's all part of the imposters ploy." Bryan glanced around again, as if he thought someone was spying on us. he knew we were alone in the medbay, right?   
"are you... okay?" I asked.   
Bryan seemed to decide on something because his grip on my hands tightened and he met my gaze, as much as someone could under a visor anyway. "fuck it... okay, okay. Alex, I want to tell you something." he directed my gaze to our entwined fingers.   
I was confused by his intentions at first, but as I watched, his gloved hand stretched to become longer, the lengthened fingers stretching inhumanely up my wrist, and becoming a paler colour as they grew.   
a harsh shriek escaped my lips instinctively, making Bryan have to cover my speaker as he looked to see if anyone heard.   
I shoved him off of me, horrified. "you're an alien!" I screeched. "you're- I trusted you!" a horrid thought accured to me, which I voiced through a hoarse whisper. "is your name even Bryan? did you lie to me about your identity?"   
"I didnt-" he began, but we were both interrupted by a loud **thump** as the doors slammed close.   
my heart sank in my chest. the doors were never supposed to close. in fact, the only way to close them was by hacking into the system. something only an imposter would do.  
I looked at Bryan, suddenly filled with dread. did he lock us in together?  
"Alex..."   
"dont call me that!" I hissed, running over to the door in a panic. "LET ME OUT!" I shouted as I banged against the door.   
" _Alex,_ I need you to listen to me, Id never kill you," Bryan whimpered.   
the tone of his voice made me stop my frantic scrambling for a moment.   
"I never lied to you I just, didnt tell the whole truth."   
I swallowed my momentary terror and looked over at him. he was back to his normal form, but that was the least of my troubles. _w_ _e werent the only two in the room._  
a large, white figure, _Vanilla_ , stood by the vents- far larger than any humanoid should be, larger than his previous size for sure. he had much more than two arms, each longer than the last, that trailed from the vents and reached menacingly toward us.   
I was only vaguely aware of Bryan moving closer to me- I think I was in shock. Vanilla lunged at me, and Bryan tackled the imposter with an equally shapeshifted body, but it all seemed to happen in front of someone else. it was an unreal blur.  
I didnt even realize I was screaming until minutes that felt like hours later, when Bryan was cooing softly to try and quiet me down, the alien blood on his fingers smudging against my suit. 


	6. suspense like I never knew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the next meeting was a blur. there was yelling that turned to screaming, but it was near impossible to keep track of any of it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a shorter chapter as I attempt to wrap this story up

the next meeting was another blur. I remember there was yelling, so at some point I had put my head down to cover my ears and hide my eyes. the yelling turned to screaming, but I was too zoned out to really respond.   
my mind was fully occupied with trying to process what happened. Vanilla was the imposter, he tried to kill me. he looked... the sight of his body still made me shudder. like something straight out of a horror movie. but this was real life, real stakes.   
most of all what I remember was the blood. it wasnt human, that much was clear. it was thicker than human blood, and it didnt so much drip from Bryan's wounds so much as it did gather in red clumps, spilling from impossibly deep scars. no human would be able to survive scars that deep, that much blood loss. but Bryan wasnt human, was he?   
that was the other thing I had trouble wrapping my head around. sure, Vanilla was a scary horror villain. still absolutely terrifying, but not anything close to seeing Bryan in the same form, albeit smaller.   
I couldn't decide which was worse to remember, Bryan's grotesque form with too many limbs, razor sharp teeth everywhere they absolutely shouldnt be, or watching that form get torn apart like a cloth toy.   
my thoughts were chased away all at once by someone shaking me, and the faraway call of my name that seemed to get closer the more I focused.   
an impatient "Cyan!!"   
and an exasperated "dont shake them like that!"   
my vision slowly focused on Brown, he must've been the one shaking me. Bryan stood nervously nearby.   
"you good?" Brown asked, and I nodded hesitantly. he gave a sigh of relief. "okay, good. Medic said you were in shock..."  
"was Vanilla voted out?"   
the simple question was met with silence. "we werent sure if it was Vanilla or Medic that was lying" Brown said finally. "if you can confirm the actual imposter's Vanilla ill call a meeting and we can vote him out right now."   
"yes, do that," I demanded quickly, but Brown didnt call a meeting immediately like he just said he would.   
"are... are you sure its Vanilla?"   
I opened my mouth to confirm, then hesitated. I was sure, wasnt I? Brown was making me doubt myself. was Brown the imposter, trying to save his fellow murderer?   
Bryan was peering at me nervously from across the room, fidgeting with his hands and rocking on his feet.   
"yes. I'm sure" I announced decisively.   
Brown took my hand and led me out the medbay and into the cafeteria, where I pressed the button with my free hand. 


	7. death of a stranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it was rather easy to convince everyone that Vanilla was the imposter, but that trust didnt last long

it was surprisingly easy to convince everyone that Vanilla was the imposter. much easier than previous meetings, at least.   
Ray threw a bit of a fight, mentioning that I'd been in a suspiciously high amount of accidents, but he was largely ignored.   
he was right, of course, but that wasnt the matter at hand. Vanilla got voted off, and though he struggled against the hands dragging him to the airlock with more strength than a human should be able to manage, he was eventually thrown out into space.   
we shuffled around our partners again, and I ended up with someone nearly a stranger to me, Red.   
Red boredly compared his tasks to mine. and we both headed toward Navigation. he didnt talk much, which was all well and good. itd been some time since I'd just focused on my tasks. for a few hours all went well, until we separated briefly when our tasks took us to different rooms. those rooms were right next to each other, but we knew the risks.   
I shouldve known something would happen.   
we were supposed to meet up again at coms, but he didnt show up. he was supposed to be emptying the trash in storage, which is where I headed.   
the second I stepped into blood I knew there was trouble. just as feared, there lay half of reds corpse near the lever, his hand still outstretched. a sight I'd gotten all too used to. swallowing the urge to instantly call a meeting, I wandered around the area, checking to see if there was still an imposter nearby.   
there were bloody footprints heading toward cafeteria, but before I could investigate further, the lights blared to announce a body had been reported. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a short chapter but I'm posting two today so


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took down and then added to this chapter, since it was cut off rather arbitrarily. its roughly twice as long now :p

Princesses gaze was focused on me, which wasnt good since she had called the meeting. "care to explain why you let your partner die without reporting the body?"   
I fumbled with my words for a moment, before realizing something. "how did _you_ find him?"   
"i had just finished clearing garbage and was coming down-"   
"from cafeteria? I was in that hallway and didnt see you. and Red already did that task-"   
Ray interrupted our dispute, forcing me to glance up at the rest of our crewmates, who've mostly already voted. "are you trying to accuse a _child_ of murder?"   
"I will if shes guilty!" I spat.   
I knew what I said was true- there was too much conflicting evidence in Princess' story. "I dont wanna believe it either but the evidence-"   
"the evidence," Princess began, "shows you next to a body without reporting it."   
"no..." I half whispered as more votes went up. "no you have to believe me, you cant vote me off, it's _her!"_   
even as I spoke I knew it was too late. all the votes were already in except my own, and the others were casting me impatient glances.   
swallowing my fear, I cast my vote toward Princess and dared to look at the results, my heart thudding in my chest. three voted for me, three voted for Princess. a tie...? it was a shame Princess wasnt caught, but god, I really thought I was gonna die there. the meeting ended abruptly and I felt Bryan put a hand on my shoulder. "we should talk," he muttered through his intercom. I was still too panicked from the fear of death to disagree, so I followed him mindlessly.   
"you didnt... I dont think you did it." he started. "but..."   
"fuck, Bryan. you voted for her, right? thank god, I- I thought I was finished there." my voice was shaking, and Bryan awkwardly pat my arm to comfort me.   
"I _know_ she did it, she was the only one in the area, a-and she said she came from cafeteria _but_ _I would've seen her!_ you believe me right?"   
"maybe you saw someone else, I just voted her to even the score-"   
"Bryan!" i begged, grabbing his suit desperately. "it's her. i didnt see anything. even if she didnt kill him, she was lying. shes still an imposter. m-maybe it's her and Purple, like you said!"   
I could tell Bryan was gonna argue again, but he stopped himself. perhaps having a change of heart at my pitiful state. "okay... I believe you. or at least, I trust you enough to follow."   
I gave a shaky sigh of relief. i dont know what i would've done without his support.   
"i should go, but... good luck convincing the others."   
he headed off and I stood back up properly, fully aware of how crazy I must look, accusing a child of murder. but I had Bryan's trust, and if we was right about Purple, then that meant i needed to convince Brown and Ray, too. easier said than done.   
I headed over to Brown first. I knew him well enough, and trusted him. plus... hed already voted for not-me. unlike Ray.   
Brown was waiting around for some files to finish downloading. seems like I wouldnt be disrupting much. "hey Brown."   
"you looked insane back there." Brown wasted no time getting to the point.   
"I know but, I still stand by what I said. Princess's alibi is sus, if not a straight out lie."   
Browns face was covered, but I could practically _feel_ him rolling his eyes. "imposter or not, I'm not letting a child die."   
I started to interrupt, but got caught rather off guard by the 'imposter or not' part of his statement. "well... aliens are shapeshifters arent they? they could be impersonating a child."   
"or they could be a misguided human child."   
once again Brown had a point I could hardly argue with. wait, had he said- "so you believe me that Princess is the imposter?"   
Brown turned toward his downloads to check the progress, no doubt trying to avoid this conversation. "it sounds crazy but... well I'm not saying shes killing someone, but I could see how a kid could get caught up in imposter stuff."   
I sighed and leaned against the wall against him. it seems we had reached an impasse. he believed me that she was an imposter, but still refused to vote her off. how was I supposed to work with that ?   
"look, Cyan. maybe we can keep her around, and deposit her somewhere safe once we get back on a planet. obviously I dont wanna kill her but... shes unsafe to have around."   
it was definitely a fair compromise. "do we have like... a jail?"   
"we got a few spare bedrooms, since... well that's not the point. were only about a week away from the next planet anyway."   
"now that I'm not trying to kill a child, it should be way easier to get votes!"   
Brown laughed at that, turning his attention to his now finished downloads. "good luck with that, Cyan."   
next up: Ray. he was always eager to point fingers, so long as I got to him before the next meeting. and... in a way I guess I did. or at least, I found a puddle of blood that could only lead to one person. 


	9. Chapter 9

as much as I hate to say it, the meeting went by pretty quickly without Ray to interrupt everyone. I already had Bryan and Brown on my side to vote out Princess, Purple and Princess had nowhere to turn. admittedly, once seeing the odds, Purple turned on Princess pretty quick.   
we agreed to keep her locked in her bedroom, fed through the cracks in the door. it wasnt the most moral, but it was better than having her killed.   
the plan was to vote off Purple next, since Bryan had sussed him since the beginning, but... he was seen doing his tasks multiple times, and no one else was killed for the remainder of the week. so... once Princess was locked in her room, us four stayed on board until we landed. which, was today.   
as the temporary captain, I was going around and checking on everyone with a very official looking clip board by my side to help keep track of it all.   
Purple was doing menial tasks around the ship, making sure nothing went horribly wrong last minute.   
"hey, Cyan," he greeted me as he half-slammed the panel he was working in.   
"hey Purple. everything coming along fine?"   
"that's not my name."   
"well... 'Imposter' is a stupid name."  
Purple gave an uncaring shrug. "just a few small things youd expect from an old ship. we should consider getting a full repair once we get back."   
"honestly... I doubt that I'll still be captain once we land. my rank was always meant to be temporary and... four isnt enough to run a ship long term anyhow."   
he gave a careless wave of his hand. "we've done pretty well this past week."   
"only because there were no imposters on board."  
"well... there was one Imposter on board,"   
I rolled my eyes at the dumb pun as he chuckled to himself. after a brief goodbye, I decided to check up on Bryan. he was laying across one of the beds, seeming bored out of his mind. he sat up quickly upon seeing me come through the door.   
"Alex! I've been meaning to talk to you."   
"what about?" I took a seat next to him and he quickly grabbed my hand.   
"about... well... I know we dont talk about it much, but, me being an alien and all..."   
"theres hardly much to talk about," I reassured him. "i... was surprised, but you used it to protect me, and now were both safe!" suddenly reminded why I was here, I checked my clip board. as far as I was concerned, my week long coma was the only injury on ship. still, it didn't hurt to double check. "hey has anyone else-"   
"it's not fine, you make it seem like I lied. which... I did, but everything else I said about myself was true. just, not on Earth."   
"it's quite alright, Bryan." this certainly wanst the first time hes been like this, all apologetic and emotionally needy. it's become a normal part of daily life at this point. "besides, we dont have time for this." I tapped my clipboard for dramatic emphasis.  
he begrudgingly dropped the subject for now, answering my many questions. when it comes to paperwork, medic was probably the busiest job, ironically enough. once that was all done, he wished me a warm farewell and I headed off to find Brown.   
as expected, he was manning the camera.   
"you seem to have been around," Brown noted bluntly before turning around to face me. "I assume you're here to ask about the technical stuff," his eyes drifted to my clipboard.   
"right you are. you mind?" I sat in a nearby chair. Brown ended up being as cooperative as it got, answering everything precisely. the conversation was over relatively quickly.   
"alright," he announced once we were done. "my turn. how you been, Cyan?"   
"your turn?" I laugh at that, but oblige. "alright. I guess I've been good... we havent exactly talked much lately."   
"been spending all your time with the medic. hows _that_ going?"   
"been a good way to pass the time I s'pose. plus he gets real lonely just sitting in the medbay I'm sure."  
"sure."  
"I'd ask you to join but you're always caught up with... well... technical things!"   
"right."   
"assuming were not all split up on different ships after this, us three should all hang out !"   
"us three?"   
"well, yeah? you're my friend too," a sudden thought struck me. had Brown gotten jealous, and thought I wasnt spending enough time with him? I feel like such an awful friend all of a sudden.   
Browns laughter calms my nerves a bit. "that sounds great, Cyan. you worried about your rank as captain being stripped by Mira?"   
"well... not worried per se. but I suspect itll happen,"   
"shame. you made a pretty good captain, all things considered."   
not for the first time, I'm thankful for my helmet to hide my flattered blush. "thanks, Brown..."   
"I mean, all but four of us got killed, but banger job on making sure those four people werent killed."   
well. that was less flattering.   
"yknow, I've got some theories on who was actually imposter and such. like... i think were all certain Princess was an imposter. she had a _gun_ on her person when we arrested her"  
"I guess... when her parents were killed, she was taken under the wings of the imposters that did it," I theorized. not like Princess was gonna tell us. had she ever said something incriminating that went unnoticed because of her age? nothing came to mind but, that's just what made her such a good imposter. a sloppy one, but, as I knew first hand, it was hard to accuse a child.   
"I'm thinking Captain was innocent. hed been in the program for years after all, even if he was imposter, someone that experienced wouldn't kill their own partner."   
"maybe he got overconfident."   
Brown dismissed my idea with a wave of his hand. "I've been thinking about this a lot. Captain doesnt seem the type."   
"well... if Princess used a gun, and Vanilla used... being an alien, who do you think stabbed me?"   
Brown shrugged, turning back to his cameras absent-mindedly. "I have this working theory that Imposter _was_ an imposter, but got scared and stopped once he was the only one left."   
"that's... kind of a bad theory."   
Brown seemed unconcerned by my playful jab. "I was also so certain about Ray for the longest time, what do I know?"   
this was true. "how are you... feeling about that?"   
Brown sighed, seeming quite done with the conversation. "same as I do about all the other innocent deaths, i guess..."   
Brown didnt seem the type to talk too deeply about his feelings about the death surrounding us, especially not to someone lile me who he hardly knew, all things considered. so, after saying goodbye, I decided to spend the last hour of my time on the ship at a window, watching the purple planet come into view.  
realistically, well probably be staying on the planet for some time while Mira figures out how to send us off.   
hopefully the planet wont be so filled with imposters. after all, how would they be able to survive the trip without being voted off?   
unless... like Brown speculated with Purple, they were just biding their time. a deep sigh escaped my lips.   
as if being on a completely unfamiliar planet wasnt bad enough, there was the constant fear of imposters to keep us on our toes. but now, I didnt just have to worry about being killed. i had to worry about the crewmates that I'd foolishly befriended getting killed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm considering writing a sequel of sorts of them on Polus. but I have a few stories I wanna write before that, so it probably wont be for a while :3


End file.
